CDC rejects cruise line’s request to sail in July

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) canceled calls from the cruise industry to allow businesses to restart in July, saying it would stick to its original plan to resume cruises in November.

USA Today reported that the International Association of Cruise Lines (CLIA) has asked the CDC to lift its “conditional sailing order framework” to allow cruise ships to resume navigation in July.

“The OSC outdated [framework for conditional sailing order], which was released almost five months ago, does not reflect the proven progress and success of the industry in other parts of the world, nor the advent of vaccines, and unfairly treats cruises differently, ”said said Kelly Craighead, President and CEO of CLIA.

CLIA pointed out that the CDC has not issued additional guidance since its last order in October, although it has said it will. The cruise line has argued that the cruise industry is being treated unfairly, saying it is the only sector of the US economy that is still closed.

CDC spokeswoman Caitlin Shockey said the current order will remain in effect until November 1 and the agency is working on what the next phases should look like.

“Returning passengers to cruise is a phased approach to mitigate the risk of the spread of COVID-19,” Shockey said. “Details of the next phase of the CSO are currently under interagency review.”

Companies have announced the resumption of cruises to other parts of the world. In early March, Royal Caribbean announced it would organize a “fully vaccinated” cruise. The cruise line’s newest ship, the Odyssey of the Seas, is expected to launch from Haifa, Israel, for the first time in May.

Several cruise ships became hotspots for coronaviruses at the start of the pandemic, with the virus spreading rapidly in confined spaces. Some were forced to stay moored in quarantine, and in one high-profile case the U.S. Coast Guard did not allow Coral Princess will dock after reporting dozens of cases on board.

Proximity to cruise ships increases the risk of spreading infectious disease, and Martin Cetron, director of the CDC’s global migration and quarantine division, told USA Today that the risk of the disease spreading persists when passengers disembark.

“It is quite clear that this is a formula for accelerated introduction, transmission and spread,” Cetron said.